Why Jack Dorsey Is Backing a Vine Revival — And What It Means for the Future of Social Media- When Vine shut down in 2017, millions of creators mourned the loss of a platform that defined a generation of internet humor. Today, thanks to an unexpected alliance between former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and developer Evan Henshaw-Plath (aka Rabble), Vine is being reborn as diVine — an archival reboot with a surprisingly modern mission.
At first glance, diVine looks like a nostalgia project: a digital museum for roughly 10,000 revived six-second clips. But look closer, and you’ll see that Dorsey’s involvement goes well beyond sentiment. This reboot is a blueprint for the kind of internet Dorsey has been championing for years.
Below is a breakdown of the deeper motivations behind his support — and what they reveal about the evolving future of social platforms.
1. Restoring a Lost Piece of Internet History
Vine wasn’t just another social app; it was a cultural moment. Its fast, comedic format helped launch influencers, shape meme culture, and pioneer short-form video long before TikTok took over.
By helping revive archived clips and letting former creators reclaim or delete old content, Dorsey is supporting more than a reboot — he’s supporting digital preservation.
For someone who was widely blamed for Vine’s original shutdown, this move reads as a form of reputation repair, but also as an acknowledgment of Vine’s unexpected historical importance. diVine gives Dorsey a chance to rewrite the narrative and help preserve the creative ecosystem many felt was lost prematurely.
2. Turning Decentralization Into a Practical Reality
The most consequential detail of diVine isn’t the throwback content — it’s the infrastructure. The platform will run on Nostr, Dorsey’s preferred decentralized protocol, designed to free online communication from corporate ownership.
That decision is intentional.
Dorsey has spent the last few years criticizing the centralized control of modern platforms and pushing the idea that social networks should operate like email: open, portable, and impossible for a single company to shut down.
diVine becomes a working demonstration of that philosophy. Instead of living or dying by shareholder decisions, it’s backed by Dorsey’s nonprofit and powered by a protocol that is inherently ownerless.
In other words, diVine isn’t just bringing back Vine — it’s testing a future where social media can’t be “killed” for business reasons.
3. Fighting Back Against AI-Generated Noise
One of the most intriguing promises of diVine is its plan to block AI-generated content.
In an age where timelines are overflowing with synthetic faces, auto-generated clips, and algorithmically optimized engagement bait, diVine positions itself as an oasis of authentic creativity.
It’s a direct counter to how Dorsey sees the current internet: too noisy, too artificial, and too driven by recommendation engines rather than expression.
By focusing on authenticity, diVine is a subtle critique of the modern content economy — and a call back to a time when creativity was messy, human, and unfiltered.
4. A Low-Risk Laboratory for the Future of Social Platforms
Launching a brand-new competitor to TikTok or Instagram would be a massive investment. But reviving an archive? That’s a perfect sandbox for experimentation.
diVine gives Dorsey a real-world environment where he can:
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test how Nostr handles media distribution
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explore community governance outside corporate structures
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experiment with moderation tools and anti-AI measures
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build a creator-centric platform without the pressure of massive scale
It’s social media R&D wrapped inside a nostalgia wrapper.
5. Rewriting His Legacy — On His Own Terms
Dorsey’s involvement isn’t just technical or ideological. It’s personal.
When he says Vine’s shutdown happened because of “the whim of a corporate owner,” he’s indirectly acknowledging what many users felt: that a beloved platform vanished for reasons that had nothing to do with its cultural value.
Supporting diVine allows Dorsey to reframe his narrative — from the CEO who shut down Vine to the steward helping preserve it.
It’s a second chance at a story that never got the ending many wanted.
The Bottom Line: diVine Isn’t Just a Revival — It’s a Statement
Jack Dorsey’s support for diVine aligns with everything he’s been preaching in recent years:
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The internet should preserve its cultural moments
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Platforms should be built on open protocols
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Creativity should be human, not synthetic
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No corporation should have the power to erase a community
diVine may be small, and it may be nostalgic, but it’s also a bold experiment — a test of what happens when a beloved piece of the old internet is resurrected with the values of the new one.
Whether it succeeds or not, it reflects a clear vision: a future where social media is less controlled, less artificial, and more human.
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